1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to training devices, and more particularly pertains to a training device for use in teaching techniques for snow boarding, skiing, and other similar sports such as in line skating, skate boarding, surfing, water skiing, wind surfing, bicycling, and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When an individual snow boards or skis down a slope, the individual inclines or edges the skis or snow board in order to traverse the slope from side to side while descending in elevation. The energy necessary to produce inertia and other forces, chiefly centripetal force, generated while traversing a slope when skiing or snow boarding is furnished by gravity, or more specifically the reduction of potential gravitational energy resulting from the individual moving from a higher elevation to a lower elevation. Accordingly, a significant portion of the energy required by an individual to effect a turn is provided from an external source, gravity, rather than from the muscles of the user. In the case of water skiing, a large part of the forces are generated by the tow boat.
A variety of training devices intended for use in teaching techniques for skiing and other sports exist in the prior art. Such prior art devices typically require a user to generate all forces required for operation and movement of the components of the training device from the muscles of the user, and thus do not accurately simulate the turning techniques associated with actual sporting activities such as snow boarding, skiing, etc. Representative examples of such prior art training devices include Applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,258, and the references cited therein.
Certain types of prior art training devices exist which do provide an external energy source. One type of device in this category provides an inclined endless loop belt upon which an individual wearing skis stands, and moves from side to side on the belt by edging the skis.
Another type of known training device mounts a pair of simulated skis on a wheeled carriage for side-to-side movement along a track, propelled by forces generated by the user's muscles. Some such devices include a spring or elastic member for storing energy produced by the user's muscles to provide a centering or restorative force to the carriage after the carriage reaches a laterally outer position at either side of the track.
Applicant recalls seeing another prior art ski training device many years ago, invented by Ray Hall, which device included roller skate-type wheels mounted on bottom surfaces of a pair of skis supported on a transverse rotating cylinder, such that edging of the skis by a user effected limited side-to-side translational movement of the skis along the length of the rotating cylinder. Applicant believes that Mr. Hall's device used an electric motor to drive the rotating cylinder. Applicant has heard that Mr. Hall obtained a U.S. patent for the device many years ago, but has been unable to locate or specifically identify the patent.
However, Applicant is not aware of any training devices for snow boarding, skiing, or the like, which employ an external energy source in conjunction with a sensor to detect inclination or edging of a support member to automatically translationally move the support member in response to edging by a user.